Driver dies fleeing provincial police speed check

Driver struck police vehicle, slammed into concrete wall

Provincial police said the driver was spotted speeding on the Ville Marie Expressway last night. (Elias Abboud/CBC)

A 23-year-old driver died while trying to flee from police conducting speed checks on the Ville Marie Expressway last night.

Provincial police spotted a vehicle speeding in the eastbound lanes of the highway at around 9 p.m. last night and tried to intercept it.

The driver took the Papineau exit before turning around and crashing into a Sûreté du Québec cruiser, provincial police said.

He then backed up and took off again. The officers didn't chase down the vehicle because of the damage to the cruiser and because the situation was unfolding in an urban area, according to SQ spokesman Gregory Gomez.

A short time later, the driver hit a concrete wall at the intersection of Notre Dame Street and de Lorimier Avenue under the Jacques Cartier Bridge.

A spokesman with Urgences Santé confirmed that the driver died in the crash.

Montreal police have been brought in to conduct an independent investigation because of the provincial police involvement.